Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Eight suspected undocumented immigrants were taken into custody after fleeing from a state Department of Public Safety officer Monday afternoon during a traffic stop on Arizona 51, a department spokesman said.

The officer had stopped the vehicle near Greenway Road at about 12:25 p.m. when one person got out and ran, DPS spokesman Bart Graves said. The officer chased and caught the person. The other seven scattered.

The Department of Public Safety officer radioed for assistance. Several DPS officers as well as Phoenix police officers helped during the foot chase, Graves said.

Four of the suspected undocumented immigrants were caught near the pedestrian bridge at Greenway Road and Arizona 51. The other three were captured in a neighborhood near 35th Street.

The eight people were in custody and had asked for a translator. They were waiting to be transferred into Immigration and Customs Enforcement's custody.